In this day of mass produced instruments where one factory can make parts for 2-3 or different companies, much of the hardware and production of Percussion Plus drum sets is strikingly similar to other beginning student line drum kits out there today. The shells, tom posts, bass drum spurs, shell covering, etc. etc. are very parallel to most of the other starter drumsets.

As a drummer and teacher I wasn’t too excited to hear about these sets coming into the local music store. Now having seen them and having tuned a few, I feel that they’re going to hold up well to the needs of beginning and intermediate drummers who are playing in school band, their parent’s garage, and even getting into a few shows(cymbals excluded).

I’m still not too excited about the generic looking logo on the front bass drum head or the cheapo look of the snare shell, but the major issues of decent bearing edges, shells in-the-round, decent tuning range, hardware that works, and other issues have been solid up to the time of this writing.

One area I definitely feel could use some improvement is the pedals (both hi-hat and bass). They’re functional and will work for a beginner, but they will be way lightweight for a drummer who progresses into jazz, and especially into advanced rock with double sixteenths etc. Some players would buy new gear like a hi-hat or double bass pedal (or a new set!) at this point in their progress, so maybe it isn’t that big of a concern for someone just starting out. Also, the cymbals are lightweight and basically like playing on……well, they’re not very inspiring to hit or to look at – but this is the same situation with most all student line drum kits (unless you’re paying for a cymbal upgrade-Planet Z, B8, ZBT and so on).

If you are looking for a solid kit with hardware that won’t fall apart and drums that should last the duration of a beginning/intermediate drummer, this kit would have my approval as equivalent to the sound and durability of other entry-level drumsets in its price range.